Member Spotlight-Oyejoke Coker

Meet NAPW members in Member Spotlight, a monthly column where members highlight their careers and businesses. This month, we feature four accomplished women, so be sure to check out each of their profiles. VIP, Elite and Preferred Members: to be featured in Member Spotlight, contact us at featuredwomen@napw.com.

NAPW: Would you like to be featured on NAPW’s new Member Spotlight Pinterest board, where your photo and a link to your NAPW profile will be pinned?

Coker: YES PLEASE

NAPW: How is the economy affecting your industry?

Coker: Global coaching is an exciting and unique industry, indeed. It is intrinsically cushioned from economic vagaries. The key is to have your market segmented properly. Constellation Coaching Group LLC, for example, has two key distinct yet complementary target client groups: corporate clients and individual clients. When there is economic growth, both client groups increase their demand for coaching, counseling, consulting, and training services. Corporations will grow their employment base and promote more personnel, and will naturally engage executive coaches to support the transitions of their staff into more senior roles or coach new entrants into superior performance as they enter the organization at all levels. However, when there is a reduction in economic growth, the demand in one segment tends to compensate for the drop in the other. So, if there is a recession, companies are likely to downsize and the individuals who have been disengaged from regular paid employment require coaching to enhance their mindset, motivation, and skills as they explore other employment or income generating options. This also boosts demand for life-coaching and career coaching as individuals transition from one life stage (employment) to another (entrepreneurship or alternative employment).

NAPW: Complete the following sentence: If I had all the money in the world, I would _____.

Coker: I would still be a transformational life coach and executive coach. For me, coaching is a calling and a significant part of my life’s purpose. My raison d’être is to “leave a legacy and positively impact the world in a permanent way.” Coaching helps me to do that through individuals, working groups, and corporations whose performance, achievements, and personal lives are enhanced by the clarity, focus, and execution that a world class coach provides. And because I also train and license international coaches, the opportunity to spread this benefit is literally limitless.

There is an excellent coach in the Far East doing great work with hundreds of people, who sent me a public “thank you for the impact you have had on my life” message on my personal Facebook page. Another very accomplished NLP coach in Egypt recorded an audio thank you message that she sent to a group of NLP coach trainers, thanking me and another lady for the inspirational intervention we gave her when we met in Orlando in 2016. These and numerous other indications of the ongoing global impact of my work/vocation are more valuable to me than money.

It ties in perfectly with my core value of self transcendence. Coaching provides a rare opportunity to give back to society by delivering more balanced, happy, confident, and productive people, while providing the freedom to have ownership and control over my time and finances: that truly is a privilege for which I remain grateful to God. It is a way to combine the skills, experience, and exposure I’ve acquired through extensive international exposure and education, put it all in a pot, and serve life-changing transformational nuggets to my clients in each session or intervention. Can you imagine a world with more people positively engaged in careers that they truly enjoy, relationships that they truly value, and less prejudice, fear, and pessimism? There would be less conflict, crime, and disequilibrium.

NAPW: Name an example of when you were able to contribute to a team project ?

Coker: The largest team project that comes to mind would be the 2,000 man team I led as Executive Director of Retail Banking. One of our most significant projects would be in “customer service orientation” project that was successfully implemented in over 200 branches of our organization at the time. In my view, the leaders role in team projects is (a) ensuring that there is clarity at all levels regarding the overall goal (b) maintaining an inclusive, high trust environment. Once people fully understand the goal and the benefits to all parties, ideas are freely generated and implemented towards achieving success. This helps encourage innovation, results and exceptional outcomes.

NAPW:What does your company do to contribute to its employees’ professional development?

Coker: We are as passionate about the development of our staff as we are about our clients. The continued enhancement of our employees’ professional and personal skills helps us consistently improve our level of delivery to clients. We recognize that our people are an embodiment of our brand, so we invest heavily in them. Apart from our world-class in-house career coaching process, we send our staff to training, certification programs, and conferences on a regular basis to enhance their exposure and learning. To measure our progress, we ensure that professional development is a part of our annual planning and staff performance evaluation process. It is a part of the key performance indicators that we evaluate and reward regularly.

Our people are critical to our success. As we say at Constellation, we are a collection of stars bringing out the brilliance in our clients and ourselves. We genuinely believe in human excellence, that there is a true star in everyone, and that we only need to dust off the barriers and limiting beliefs to bring out the brilliance and let it shine.

NAPW: What are some job search tips you can share with fellow members seeking employment?

Coker:
1. Articulate the five components of your dream job, career, or vocation. Write them down.
2. Test each criterion against your core values. Make sure there is alignment between your core values and your dream occupation.
3. Make a list of the top five industries that require these services or skills.
4. List five companies in each industry. This will give you a total of 25 potential organizations that you can work in or provide service for.
5. Then make a time bound plan with a detailed approach of how you would apply for the desired position or role.
6. As you progress, celebrate each victory, no matter how small, laugh at the mistakes you make, and learn from them. Unlearn negative self-talk and let your inner self be your biggest cheerleader.
7. When you succeed,
a. Send me a note and I promise to use your success story to encourage others.
b. Encourage others.